


Mark Our Height Against the Wall

by fizzyblogic (phizzle)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Mention of Canonical Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2012-02-08
Packaged: 2017-10-30 19:41:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/335371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phizzle/pseuds/fizzyblogic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ron and Hermione figure out their life together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mark Our Height Against the Wall

The first time Hermione kisses Ron is at Grimmauld Place. Harry's in the study. She and Ron are in the kitchen, and they're talking about what to do next. Hermione half-stands to lean over the table, in the middle of it, and kisses him. It's a quick kiss, then she sits down again.

"Her-Hermione," Ron gulps.

"Well." Hermione fiddles with her sleeve. "I thought it was about time."

"Yeah," Ron breathes. They're sitting on opposite sides of the table, so he gets up to move around it. Hermione can't help noticing his hips, the way he moves, the nervous look on his face. He sits beside her, visibly swallows, and leans in.

Their first proper kiss, really proper and quite long, is a bit sloppy. It's not bad, though. They both use a bit too much tongue, then stop, but that's not enough so Ron slips his tongue into her mouth again. It takes a while to find the right balance, and their noses bump a bit. It still makes Hermione tingle to the soles of her feet. Their arms wrapped around each other, they only stop kissing when it becomes difficult to breathe.

They hear Harry's footsteps and shift apart. Ron looks at her cautiously, but with a smile, and Hermione smiles back. Harry enters the kitchen, and while they're talking about their plans, Hermione slips her hand into Ron's.

~

The first time they have sex is a few months after the battle at Hogwarts. They slept side by side a lot that year, often falling asleep holding hands, but did no more than kissing. Sometimes, they'd be kissing and Hermione would hook her leg over Ron's hip and they'd groan into each other's mouths, but they were never truly alone. Besides, it didn't ever feel like the right time.

The aftermath of the battle takes a while to sort out. She does her best to let Ron know she's there for him, but he doesn't talk about Fred much. He spends most of his time at the Burrow, while Hermione and Harry stay at Hogwarts to help turn the school back to itself again. Professor McGonagall tells them they can come back to do their NEWTs if they like, but Harry already has a job offer from Kingsley. Hermione wants to stay, get her full education. She can't quite leave Hogwarts yet, not after everything.

Kingsley gets her on a Portkey chain to Australia, and she finds her parents and takes the Memory Charms off them. She starts crying as she's saying the counter-spell, and when she's explained everything, both of her parents are crying too. They use the last of their money getting plane tickets back to England, where Ron, Harry and Mrs Weasley meet them at the airport.

Hermione spends the next few weeks with her parents, hardly wanting to let them out of her sight. Ron turns up one afternoon and hugs her until neither of them can breathe. She takes him to her favourite place when she was six, a little playground tucked away in a housing estate, and they sit on the swings while she tells him about Australia and how her parents have been. When she's got it all out, he starts talking about his own parents, how quiet George is, how weird everything's become at home without Fred. "I keep expecting him and George to Apparate in like they used to," he says. He's never sounded so desolate, and Hermione hugs him so hard they fall out of the swings.

They visit Harry the next night. Ron doesn't say anything, but Hermione needs a night away from her family and it seems like Ron does, too. With Harry, they don't have to feel so heavy.

Andromeda is there with little Teddy, whose hair is bright blue. Hermione holds him and smiles down at his tiny hands. She puts him in Ron's arms, and Ron bends over to kiss his hair. Hermione is hit by how much older they've become, just in the past year. Harry sees the look on her face and silently hands her a cup of tea, smiling sympathetically.

They sleep in one of the guest rooms that night, and come close to having sex. They kiss and kiss, undressing each other and touching everywhere they can reach. Hermione arches against him but whispers, "I don't — Ron, I don't want my first time to be because I'm so sad."

Ron stills above her and sighs. "Yeah. Yeah, me neither."

They have sex two days later, in Ron's bedroom at the Burrow. Hermione went over to see all the Weasleys, who seem to be settling into dealing with life without Fred. George, Percy and Arthur are at work, and Ron says Percy comes home for tea most days now. Ginny's over at Harry's, and Molly's in London because they're low on ingredients for the healing potions she always kept around for when the twins injured themselves.

"I can't wait to start work properly," Ron says, standing at his window looking at the fields. "We've been training, but I just want to get there and _do_ things."

Hermione takes his hand and squeezes it. "I know."

"I'm okay, though." He smiles at her, squeezing her hand back. "I mean, I'm not _over_ it, but I'm okay now."

Hermione kisses him softly. He turns his body entirely towards her and wraps his arms around her waist. Her hands in his hair, he deepens the kiss and presses against her. She walks them to the bed, not breaking contact, and they start taking each other's clothes off.

It's not brilliant, but it's amazing. He has this look on his face, awed wonder, like he can't quite believe he's really having sex with her. He looks at her like she's the most beautiful person in the world, and it makes her feel like she's made of jelly. She's seen him naked before, even naked and hard, but it gives her even more of a thrill than it ever has. When he slides into her, she feels like a piece of herself just fell into place, waiting for exactly this moment. She's known she loves him since she was fifteen, but this is the first moment she realises that she'll love him for the rest of her life. His hair falls in his eyes, his thrusts are erratic and he keeps slipping out of her, and to Hermione, he's the most perfect human being there could be.

They curl up together after he's come. "I didn't, um," she angles her hips towards him. There's a deep, insistent throb where he drew out. "Can we do that again?"

"Give me a chance," Ron pants. "Is there, er — something I can do to, er, help?"

"I don't know." Hermione bites her lip. "Maybe try, um. Hands?"

He slides two fingers inside her. It's not as good, but she clenches around them and rocks. He moves them in and out, sending stabs of pleasure through her entire body, building and building, until she comes on his hand, moaning his name.

"Wow." He blinks rapidly, staring at her. "That was," he exhales, "wow."

"Mmm." Hermione stretches.

~

For the next few months, they don't see much of each other. She's at school, he's at work, they write to each other constantly. She spends most of her time with Ginny, doing homework and talking about the war, what little they know of what the new Auror squads are doing, and Harry and Ron. Hermione doesn't want to know any details about Harry, and Ginny doesn't want to know details about Ron, so they sidestep anything their sisterly feelings repel. Harry and Ron come up for the Hogsmeade weekends, and they double date in the Three Broomsticks.

"This is nice," Ginny observes, one weekend near Christmas. She's walking hand-in-hand with Harry, next to Hermione and Ron doing the same. There's snow on the ground and settled in the shop windows. Ron points to an empty shop. "That's where George is going to set up the Hogsmeade branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." He looks thoughtful for a moment. "I haven't told you yet, Harry, sorry. But I've asked Kingsley if I can go part-time at the Ministry to help George out for a bit."

"Oh." Harry looks at the empty shop. "That's a good idea."

Hermione squeezes his hand, because Harry isn't going to. "Yeah, that's brilliant."

She spends the Christmas holidays half at the Burrow, half at home. Her parents have already met Ron, but they insist on him coming round on Christmas Eve for "a proper family meal". She hasn't said anything to them, but clearly at least her mum can tell Ron's the one. He's a bit awkward around them, but gets into a conversation with her dad on the mechanics of toasters and telephones, so it's not awful.

He moves up to Hogsmeade to look after the shop, so she sees more of him after Christmas. Still not a whole lot, as he isn't allowed to come and visit ("No, your boyfriend may not come and see you, Miss Granger, this is a _school_."), but occasionally they meet at the gates and hold hands through them. Hagrid covers for her, saying she was with him having tea, and Ginny starts walking down there with her, actually stopping in for tea with him while Hermione goes on to the gates. She does stop for a cup on her way back, and it's just like old times.

~

She asks Ron if he wants to move in with her when she's been at the Ministry for a year. He's still up in Hogsmeade, running the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop up there full-time, so when he immediately says yes (and swings her around, almost bumping her head on the cabinet) they decide she'll live up there with him. "I can Floo into work just as easily from there," she says. She's been living with Harry since she got the job, partly because it's much easier than finding her own place or arranging for her parents' house to be connected to the Floo network, and partly — though Harry wouldn't ever admit it — because he was sort of lonely there. Number twelve Grimmauld Place was transformed, now bright and airy with the help of Kreacher.

"I'll miss you," Harry says as she packs the last of her things. "I like walking to work with you."

"Me too," Hermione smiles at him. "I'll still see you at work, though. And you can come and visit any time."

"I know." He looks so sad for a moment that she hugs him. "I'll be fine, I'll be fine."

"Are you going to ask Ginny to move in?" Hermione already knows the answer, but she hasn't asked before.

"Not everyone's relationship moves at the same pace as yours," Harry laughs, bumping her shoulder. "Ginny loves living on her own."

"I know." Hermione smiles at him. "Maybe you should get some company, though. Maybe Andromeda?"

"I've been thinking about that." Harry's face grows serious as he looks around the room. "I have enough space here, I just — I don't know if I can handle a kid running around here. Especially if I want Ginny to move in eventually, which I do."

"Think about it." She hugs him again, and he hugs back.

Andromeda and Teddy move in a month later, just temporarily while they're looking for a new house. Andromeda doesn't talk about it, but Hermione guesses she couldn't live with all those memories around her.

~

The night Ron proposes is just like any other night. Hermione is poring over bylaws and thinking over how to reword one to be more inclusive of magical creatures who don't have wands (but still respectful of centaurs' wishes to be classed as beasts). Ron emerges from checking the stock and makes a pot of tea. Hermione, caught up in the arrangement of words and all the customs of wizarding law, doesn't notice how quiet he is.

"Hermione?" he says. She doesn't look up, just makes a noise meaning 'I'm listening'. "Hermione?" Ron repeats.

Hermione looks up. Her eyes widen at the sight of their living room; balloons have appeared out of nowhere, in the shape of hearts, and a cake is sitting on the side table. "It's not my birthday," she says, dazed. "It's not yours either."

"I know. I hope there'll be something to celebrate, though." Ron isn't his usual slightly scruffy self, either. He's scrubbed clean, his hair neat, and his best robes on. Hermione shuts her book.

"Ron?" It's a question, only she isn't sure what she's asking.

"Hermione Granger," and Ron gets down onto one knee. Hermione's jaw drops. "Will you marry me?" Ron asks, holding out a small box, open to show a sparkling ring.

"Yes," Hermione says, realising she's grinning. "Yes, of course I will." He jumps up, almost knocking her over as he hugs her, and then they're both laughing a bit tearfully and he's slipping the ring onto her finger and it fits perfectly. She kisses him, and he kisses back with a confidence she hadn't even noticed he'd gained.

It's been five years since they got together, and the sex they have that night is so different from the sex they had almost four years ago. They've spent the time getting to know each other's bodies, and this time, instead of wonder and awe Ron looks at her with a confident want. He keeps his thumb against her clit and thrusts deep, and she wraps her legs around his waist and squeezes. They screw for three hours, non stop, Ron lapping at her clit while he gets hard again. She comes five times, and sleeps more soundly afterwards than she ever has.

They tell Harry, Ginny, their parents, Neville, Luna, and everyone else they know the next day. Some they tell in person, others Hermione writes to, and soon the owls come thick and fast with congratulations. Ron's been talking about going back to the Ministry; the shop's doing well enough now that his assistant can get the promotion she's earned. Mr and Mrs Weasley throw a party at the Burrow, and Harry grabs them into a three-way hug, beaming so hard it must hurt.

Hermione looks around at the assembled people at the Burrow — her parents drove up, and there's all the Weasleys, Harry, Neville with his new girlfriend Hannah, Luna, Andromeda, Teddy, Hagrid, Ernie and Justin, Kingsley, Katie, Alicia, Angelica, even Lavender and Parvati showed up. They'll be at her wedding, no doubt, and one day she'll have children and so will some of them. One day their children will go to school together. One day she'll be at Harry and Ginny's wedding, and the weddings of anyone else at the table, because that's what it means to have friends for life.

She laces her fingers with Ron's, breathes in the night air, and talks work with Percy until the cake is brought out.


End file.
